


Lead Me Home

by staycurious



Series: Lead Me Home [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Season/Series 01, Slow Burn, Smut, Touch-Starved Din Djarin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29550132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staycurious/pseuds/staycurious
Summary: Din Djarin and his on-ship mechanic become the guardians of Baby Yoda. The story follows their adventures across season one, as well as their growing romance and growth as characters. It will follow close to season one, with only slight divergence.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Lead Me Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170986
Kudos: 6





	Lead Me Home

Chapter One

Kaylee had known when the Mandalorian asked her to join him as a crew member aboard the Razor Crest four months ago, it was not just based on her mechanical skills. It was for the same reason she earned the title of being mute. Most people, even those who had known her for a long time, had never heard her speaking voice. At least, not much to determine a speaking pattern or accent. She could get by with just nods and shakes of her head, hand gestures, and the few words she would supply. 

She knew the Mandalorian appreciated her quietness. She didn’t bother him small talk nor did she even hang around him, choosing to either spend her time working on the ship or a new tool, or just spend time reading. She could appreciate he didn’t make her uncomfortable for just being herself and that he didn’t say anything when she knew she was observing him for too long or stuck in her own thoughts, his call of her name often pulling her back out.

But it wasn’t long after boarding the Razor Crest that her reason for why she was quiet around most others differed for why she continued to be quiet around the Mandalorian. For the first time in a while, she had someone she would consider a friend. And as much as she tried to push the thoughts away, someone she crushed on. She feared speaking wrong, maybe even speaking too much, would have him leaving her at the next stop. So as much as she wanted to converse with him beyond the few words they shared, she didn’t.

Most of the time aboard the ship was peaceful. Sometimes she would be alone for days, even a week, while Mando was hunting his next bounty. In that time, she would stay mostly aboard the ship, only making short trips into whichever town was closest to acquire supplies. When not fixing the ship she had come to love, despite it always seeming to be falling apart, she would sit atop of the mattress and her collection of pillows and blankets to read or work. It was the kind of peaceful she was content with.

Except, today was not one of those peaceful days. She was awoken from her nap by the yelling of an unfamiliar voice and the ship shaking violently from side to side. She was nearly thrown from her bed amongst the chaos, watching as Mando strode past her to open the doorway. With an electric shock, the Ravinak that had taken ahold of their ship released it.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” That unfamiliar voice from the cockpit keeps yelling out, full of terror.

Mando strides past her without acknowledgment, returning up to the cockpit. Kaylee stared up at the closed door of the cockpit, wondering when he would put the bounty into carbonite. He usually didn’t let them board the ship for longer than a moment before placing them into the carbon-freezer. In the chaos of the attack by the icy beast, he must have not had the time, she thought as she stood.

Kaylee stretched out her limbs. She took the moment alone to use the refresher to change out of her pajamas. She changed into a long sleeved tunic dress, leggings, and wide belt to cinch at her waist. As usual aboard the ship, she only wore her socks for footwear as she made her way up the ladder.

The bounty, a mythrol, was ending his sentence “you’re a lucky guy, trust me.”

The myrthol’s anxious laughter died out at both Mando’s silence and Kaylee’s arrival. He looked between them both, speaking once Kaylee had taken her seat in the other passenger seat on Mando’s opposite side.

“You have a girlfriend, uh, wife?”

Mando remained silent. Kaylee only shook her head as an answer, pulling open the book she had brought up with her to the page she left off on. She pulled her legs up to rest against her chest as she read.

She barely focuses on the rest of the conversation as the mythrol heads down to the lower part of the ship, claiming to use the vacc tube. She doesn’t even pull her gaze from the page she reads when Mando quietly makes his way down to the lower floor. Within a moment, she hears the familiar sound of the carbon-freezer. Another moment later, Mando returns to the cockpit and takes his place back in the pilot seat.

The rest of their trip remains in the usual silence, the only sounds being the beeping of controls and the flipping of pages. Sometimes Mando would sigh, something Kaylee found he did quite often enough that she could determine his mood on it alone. Towards the end of the trip, Kaylee felt that tugging need to speak with him. To speak about something that wasn’t just related to the ship or his work. By the time they arrived on Nevarro, she accepted that she had failed to speak with him properly again.

“I’m meeting Karga. Stay here,” he instructs as he stands. His voice is low, an authority evident in the tone.

Most of the time he doesn’t care if she joins him into the town unless he is facing an expected danger. However, she found he didn’t like her to join in meeting this man named Karga. But she felt it was something more than that, something he did afterward in Nevarro that she wasn’t allowed to know of. As with everything about him, she didn’t press with questions. She only nodded, knowing they were fine on supplies for the time being. She would like to search around for a new book, but it was unlikely to find something like that around this area.

He left without any further discussion. She cursed herself for not even managing a goodbye. For the rest of the afternoon, she busied herself with work. She did repairs on the exterior of the ship were the Ravinak had attacked. Afterward, she had a quick lunch and then returned to working on her most recent project. She was trying to make her own charged weapon. A metal rod nearly taller than herself and with a blade at each end. She had been applying additional features to the tool, one of which was an electric shock option that she was currently having trouble getting to work properly.

Cursing under her breath, her attention is pulled away from the wires to the now open gate of the ship. Mando strides in, placing one of his weapons into the weapons cabinet next to where she sat on her mattress. If he looked at her, she couldn’t tell with his helmet facing forward at his task. He shut the cabinet, turning to go to the ladder. She tilted her head at the sight of the new armor on one of his shoulders. Was that real beskar?

Kaylee remains working on the project for a bit longer before making her way up to the cockpit. Mando was seated in the cockpit chair, staring out at the expanse of space as they moved through hyperspace. No matter how often they moved through it, she still felt a wonder fill her. It wasn’t until she had joined him those months ago that she got to experience being out in space. Before then, she had been born and remained on the small planet where he had met her.

“Where are we going?” She questioned, carefully taking the seat next to him. Due to her lack of speaking, her voice almost always came out strained. She wasn’t even sure what her voice really sounded like once the initial speech rust wore off. She never spoke long enough to know.

“Arvala-7.”

She had never been there. She tried to make a point of going out on any new planets, taking note of everything she would draw out in her own blank paged book with each of her observations written out in scribbled letters. Mando had seen her working on the book once, catching him looking down at the quick illustrations and scrappy handwriting. Thinking of it now, that would have been a good time to speak with him.

“Can I join you?”

He remained quiet for a long moment. Kaylee shifted in the chair, looking between him and the space ahead where he stared as if he could find something worth staring at. Maybe he wasn’t even staring there, she thought to herself. She really just couldn’t know with that helmet.

“Okay.”

She couldn’t hold back the small smile that formed across her lips. She sat back in the chair, admiring the expanse of space. She hadn’t realized she fell asleep until she heard Mando’s voice calling out to her from the door to the cockpit. Once he saw she was awake, and she could in turn see they had landed, he made his way back down to the lower floor.

She quickly joined him, pulling her hooded poncho cloak over herself. Despite the staff not yet being completed, it was still a worthy weapon. She attached it to the strap on her back, followed by pulling on a pair of ankle boots.

He had gone ahead of her to survey the land as she made a quick check of the exterior of the ship. Her attention snapped back to him at the sound of a crash and grunt. Mando had been taken down by a blurrg. She had barely gotten a step forward before a second blurrg raced toward him. Both falling from tranquilizers that had been shot.

Mando and her looked to who had helped, a small, alien man approaching on his own blurrg. Mando offered his thanks, making a quick glance to check on Kaylee. She remained standing by the ship, watching as they continued their conversation from a distance. The short conversation ended with Mando motioning for her to follow.

They made their way to the man, Kuiil’s, residence. While Mando sat, Kaylee remained standing to observe the room. She couldn’t help her snoopy nature, no matter how many times her grandmother had scolded her as a child. The man didn’t seem to mind as he continued his conversation with Mando.

“Yes,” Kuiil said in response to what Mando had asked. A pause. “They died.”

“Well, then I don’t know if I want your help,” Mando states stubbornly.

Kaylee glances back at him. He only gives her a short look back, quickly turning his attention back to the man. As they continued to their conversation, Kaylee left the home to observe the desert landscape around her. If there were planets she disliked nearly as much as ice planets, it was those with sand. The heat scratched at her skin and the sand getting in everything didn’t help much. She had to shake out the sand from her boots for the second time since they landed. Maybe she was just biased from having grown up on a planet made up of forests. The weather there had been plain by most standards. It was never too hot nor too cold. The land provided for good harvests and the expanse of rivers offered both water and fun.

The two men join her, now discussing how Mando will be riding a blurrg. 'Riding one?' Kaylee couldn’t imagine that would be easy, especially after witnessing how the creature had acted only hours ago. Despite her reservations, and Mando’s obvious annoyance, he made his attempts at trying to ride one. Several attempts later, Mando’s frustrations were on full display. She could tell even before he spoke by the tenseness of his body that he was losing patience. Living with someone who she couldn’t see the expression of, added to his usual silence, had trained her on observing body language.

Kuiil wasn’t intimidated by the Mandalorian, easily pushing back with a reminder of Mando’s ancestors. This was enough for Mando to take another try at taming the blurrg, this time managing to succeed.

Kaylee was glad she was seated in front of the Mandalorian on top of the blurrg, or else he would see her reddened cheeks. She had never been this close to him, his arms around her sides to hold the holster of the creature. Being this close, she was reminded how small she was in comparison to him. His head above her own. She stayed rigidly straight, fearful of making him uncomfortable if she leaned back against his armored chest. This crush was going to be the death of her, she was certain of it.

They arrive close to where the bounty would be found. The two men discussing the matter ahead as Kaylee observed the land around them. Kuiil departed, stating once again, “I have spoken.”

This time, Kaylee isn’t taken along with Mando. It made sense to her. She would stay wait for him atop of the cliff while he went to retrieve the bounty. She wasn’t trained in fighting, nor was she equipped with any tools worthy of the fight she was sure was ahead. She would only be holding him back.

The arrival of a Bounty Droid only made matters worse. Mando let out an exasperated sigh of, “Droids”, pulling himself up to his feet.

He moved to leave, stopped by her hand flying out to grasp the fabric on his arm. Her hands had moved without thought, leaving her as flustered by the sudden movement as he is surprised. He tilts his head at her, waiting for an explanation.

Unable to provide one, she only mutters, “Be safe.”

His response is only a nod, easily pulling from her grasp. She watches him disappear, trying to rid herself of the anxiety rushing over. It never does go away, not at the sounds of yelling and blasts of blasters and explosions that only make her stomach churn. He had always told her in the case of something happening to him, she would take the ship and return back to her home planet. She had agreed with this, never considering how difficult it was to actually imagine something happening to him. If he didn’t come back, she even considered going down there to find him herself.

Fortunately, that doesn’t need to happen this time as she sees him approaching with a floating orb beside him. She steps forward, peering into the open orb at the strangest little green creature she has ever seen. It had eyes and ears far too large for the small side of its wrinkled head. The little white hairs atop of his head only confusing her further as she observed him. She tilted her head at him, and in turn, he did the same to her.

“Your bounty is a child?” She asked, looking up to Mando.

“He’s fifty.”

Her eyes widened. She had heard of species aging differently, but never saw one quite like this. She held out her finger, meeting the outstretched finger of the child, who gurgled at the touch. She looked back to Mando, who was doing his best not to look at either of them.

“Let’s go,” he declares. Without waiting for her response, he begins to move in the direction of where their ship would be. The orb following behind him. Kaylee glances back at where the child had been found, feeling another twist in her stomach. Pushing past it, she hurried to catch up to the pair.

It didn’t take long for them to face another challenge. They were making their way through a canyon when Mando came to a stop. Kaylee had barely opened her mouth to ask what was wrong before they were attacked. Mando pushed the orb away from the fight, ordering Kaylee with a snap, “Move!”

Kaylee pulled her staff from her back, stabbing the end into the leg of one of the alien attackers. He let out a frustrated screech of pain. The jab wasn’t enough to deter him for long as he took a swing at her with a dagger. She managed to avoid the dagger, but not his fist from the other hand to swiped across her cheek. The hit was enough to send her crumbling to the side, releasing a gasp at the pain that shoots across her face.

“Kaylee!”

Before her attacker can even take a step toward her, he is killed by Mando. Within seconds, he has killed the remainder of the attackers. Including one who had made a run for the child.

Kaylee had barely pulled herself up from the ground when a hand wrapped around her upper arm pulled her the rest of the way up. She looked to meet the gaze of the t-shaped helmet that peered down at her. His large hand still wrapped around her arm.

“Are you okay?” He practically demands.

She manages a careful nod, quickly giving it more effort. It seemed to convince him enough to let go and continue on through their walk. She couldn’t prove it, but she thought maybe he had made a look toward the wound across her cheek. She kept her focus everywhere else, from the child that followed them in the orb to the expanse of land.

As night fell near, they stopped for the night to set up camp and rest. Kaylee had offered to help Mando with his wound, but he had just grunted he could do it. Not wanting to overstep, she just nodded and laid back in the sand. She stared up at the stars, making out shapes as if she was peering at clouds.

The child had crawled out from the orb, reaching toward the wound on Mando’s arm. He put the child back into the orb before he returned to his seat to work on his armor. Kaylee watched as the child made his second attempt to approach the Mandalorian. This time Mando closed the orb upon returning the child to it.

Once he is seated, Kaylee finds her voice. “He’s a child.”

Mando only makes a noise of acknowledgment, continuing to work on his arm that sparks around him as he messes with it.

Kaylee looks back to the sky, fighting back against her heavy eyelids. “Why would they want a child?”

“I don’t know. I don’t ask,” he responds, a slight hint of irritation in his tone. Yet, she feels it isn’t directed at her.

Unsure of why, she said once again, almost to herself, “He’s a child.”

Mando looks up at her, watching her for a moment. If he was going to speak, she didn’t know as she feel into the sleep she had fought against.

The next morning, their arrival at the ship was met with their second challenge upon retrieving the bounty. A group of Jawas had dismantled the ship to its bones and put the belongings in a sandcrawler. Kaylee had never seen a sandcrawler before, amazed by how massive it was. Mando shared none of her amazement, shooting at the Jawas before they escaped aboard the ship. Mando chased after it, jumping on as he continued to shoot them in an attempt to board the ship.

Kaylee chased after them, both the ship and the orb that followed quickly behind, but soon she was far behind them all. By the time she found them again, having sprinted the entire way, she found Mando passed out on the ground with the child peering down at him. His features twisted into concern, only relieving a bit at the sight of Kaylee approaching.

She had barely made it to Mando before he began to sit up, looking from where the Jawas had disappeared to where Kaylee stood feet from him. Her chest heaving up and down from the run, struggling to catch her breath. She made a mental note to get in more exercise for times like these.

Without being able to do anything for the ship, they made their way back to Kuiil’s residence. Kaylee sat on the ground, her legs folded under her as if she was a child waiting for story time. She watched the child that pattered around the dirt, trying to grasp one of the frogs plopping around. From behind her, Kuiil and Mando spoke. 

“My ship has been destroyed,” Mando says as he works on his damaged vambrace. “We’re trapped here.”

“Stripped. Not destroyed,” Kuiil corrects the Mandalorian. “The Jawas steal. They don’t destroy.”

Mando snorts at this. “Stolen or destroyed—makes no difference to me.”

Kuiil offers the idea of trading with the Jawas, which Mando, as Kaylee expected, is less than keen to accept as a viable option. Kaylee’s mouth fell open, watching with both interest and horror as the child began to scarf down the frog he caught. Mando and Kuiil both caught sight of this too, earning a command from Mando to spit it out. The child swallows the frog whole, letting out a giggle that earns a frustrated shake of Mando’s head.

Kaylee couldn’t help but laugh at the child’s joy. Mando’s helmet tilted down toward her, titled slightly. Was that the first time he had ever heard her laugh? She wondered this as her cheeks redden once more as she felt his gaze on her. 

Her embarrassment was soon flooded with a worry that had been building in her stomach since she first saw the child. Why would the client want a child, especially one that he was willing to pay so much for. She knew Mando had these same thoughts, even if he didn’t speak it. In the same way she knew their friendship was unspoken, so were these shared concerns.

On the third day of their arrival on Arvala-7, the group made their way to meet with the Jawas. While Mando sat with Kuiil to discuss a trade with the Jawas, the child remained in the cart, and Kaylee moved to observe all the items that Jawas had collected outside of the ship. They didn’t stop her from looking around, seeming just as interested in her as she was in their belongings. Deep in her thoughts, she only faintly felt them tugging at fabric of her leggings and the conversation from the other end. She was pulled out from her thoughts by Mando releasing a fire stream toward the Jawas using his vambrace. Kuiil managed to calm the situation down, allowing Kaylee to return to her observations.

“Get away from it!” Mando yells.

She looks to where he directed his anger, finding a pair of Jawas quickly rushing away from the cart they had gone to observe the child. Mando’s gaze shot towards Kaylee. He didn’t need to speak for her to get what he was telling her through the helmeted gaze. She made her way back to the cart to supervise the child as they continued the rest of the deal. Soon enough it was decided. Mando would retrieve an egg in return for the parts of his ship.

This time, Kaylee was left behind. He took the child with him, stating it was best he kept an eye on the bounty. She felt a slight sting at him not trusting her enough, but she didn’t argue. After the pair had gone, she sat down on the cart next to Kuiil.

“How long have you been with the Mandalorian?” He questions.

“Four months.”

“You are not his…romantic partner.”

“I’m not,” she confirms. She fidgets with her foot, unable to keep it from tapping against the cart. “I’m his mechanic. Crew member.”

He nods, considering this. “So he is your boss.”

“And friend,” she adds without thought. “He’s my friend. I don’t know if-” she doesn’t finish the rest of the sentence. Only in her thoughts does it finish, 'I don’t know if I am his friend'.

Kuiil seems to understand none the less, nodding at this. “You are quiet, like him. Much more patient.”

He grumbles the last bit, pulling a smile from her lips. They talk for hours, their conversation only slowing as Kaylee grew more worried. They should have been back by now. She didn’t have any proof that this was true, she only felt it to be. The Jawas had grown impatient, preparing to leave despite Kuiil’s insistence that Mando would return with their precious egg.

The ramp to the sandcrawler had begun to close when Mando and the orb appeared in the distance. Kaylee pushed off from the cart.

“Mando!” She yelled, sprinting toward him. Just as with her hand that had grasped his arm the day before, she didn’t feel in control of herself as she propelled herself toward him. She thought she may have attacked with him an embrace if she didn’t take in how muddy and hurt he appeared to be. She came to a stumbling halt, standing just in front of him.

Her gaze dropped to the orb, where the child lay sleeping. As soon as those worries had left, that anxiety rushed back into her chest.

“What happened?” She demands, following behind him as he gives the egg to the Jawas. She shows no interest in their celebration, unlike Mando who appears to watch with disgust, only caring about the armored man in front of her.

Mando doesn’t explain to them what had happened until they were on the cart, returning back to the ship with the parts. Even after he had explained, it didn’t clear up much of Kaylee’s confusion. This idea that the child had lifted his hand and been able to stop the beast as if using magic. She had never heard of anything like it. Kuiil shared in this sentiment, asking once again for Mando to explain it to him.

The remainder of the next day was spent putting the ship back into place. It gave Kaylee somewhere to focus her energy, working with care and expertise to put the ship back in order. Kuiil was a major help and Mando also did a great portion of work, even if he was much less natural in his movement of doing so compared to Kuiil and Kaylee. Kaylee especially was in her element, sometimes feeling the lingering gaze of Mando on her. She just chalked it up to her imagination from the heat getting to her.

Despite the sadness at leaving Kuiil, someone she considered to be her second friend now, she was happy to be able to take a shower aboard the ship. By the time she left the refresher, changed into a fresh dress and leggings, they had long been in hyperdrive, heading back to Nevarro to return the bounty. No, she stopped herself from calling the child that. That only made it more complicated for her thoughts.

Kaylee dried her hair a bit more before making her way up to the cockpit. She stopped to look down at the sleeping child. 

“He hasn’t woken up yet?”

“No.”

Kaylee bites at her lower lip, giving a nod. She practically collapses into the chair next to him, pulling her legs up against her chest to rest her chin atop her knees. She tilts her head, peering at Mando. He remained in his usual place, facing forward to the expanse of space.

“He’s a child.”

Mando sighs. One of his exasperated sighs. “You’ve said that multiple times now.”

“But he is,” she presses. “Why would they want a child? Why did he do this magic thing? How can we just turn him in? He is a child and I don’t think he would be safe with them.”

She stops, realizing this is the most she has ever spoken to him. The most she has ever spoken since she was a child. She feels the pull to be quiet, to return to the safety of silence, yet whatever burns in her stomach pushes her from doing that.

“I don’t think we should turn him in.”

“Then what do you expect we do?” His voice comes out cold, harsher than she has ever heard, especially directed at her.

It feels as if someone had dumped ice water over her. Her brain reminding her this is why she needed to keep to herself. He was probably already deciding to just leave her on Nevarro.

She has barely opened her mouth before he continues, his tone firm, “We turn him into the client. That is the job. That is the code of the Guild.”

She wants to argue with him. Maybe it was the lack of proper sleep, maybe it was all they had faced the last few days, but either way, she didn’t speak again. She only nodded, pushing herself up. She didn’t need to tell him she was going to bed. She just left, returning to the safety and comfort of the blankets and pillows atop the mattress. She hid within them like they were a cocoon.

She tried to sleep, yet it wouldn’t take. She wasn’t sure how long it had been, facing the wall on her side, that she heard footsteps on the ladder. A couple footsteps in her direction before they stopped. She remained with her back to him, waiting, no, hoping, he would speak. But he didn’t. And soon enough, he returned back to the cockpit. Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer until she did fall asleep.


End file.
